


Bright Skies Unscripted

by Tsukino_Akume



Series: Bright Skies AU [12]
Category: Power Rangers
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-01-05
Updated: 2013-01-05
Packaged: 2017-11-23 17:07:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 12,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/624540
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tsukino_Akume/pseuds/Tsukino_Akume
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The stories of Bright Skies that never were.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Bright Skies](https://archiveofourown.org/works/338328) by [Tsukino_Akume](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tsukino_Akume/pseuds/Tsukino_Akume). 



> **Disclaimer/:** I may have come up with Bright Skies, but I sure as hell didn't come up with Power Rangers on my own. ~~Damn it.~~  
>  **Warnings/:** Randomness and typos EVERYWHERE. This is the uncut version, kiddies.  
>  **Author's Notes/:** This is all Starlit Purple and Rosabelle's fault, because they wanted to see the scenes from Bright Skies I never posted. Any and all chapters or scenes that are dropped in future edits will end up here. 
> 
> Prepare to be confused and relieved.
> 
>  **Chapter Note:** The first part of Not Enough was going to have Wes talking to Cam about what happened, and get more into understanding what about ***them*** connected, which later turns into Bridge's Powers. It also uses my version of Cam's powers, which are from a story that I haven't written yet. ^.^;;;
> 
> The abilities that combined were supposed to be linked in some way, which is why Rocky and Kimberly were holding hands while they were unconscious. Eventually I decided to drop it because it didn't feel right for the story.

Flashes of color.

Green light that burned. Burned brighter as Red flared against it. His Red? He was Red?

They didn't like each other. Red and Green were different. But ... they were different from others, too. Even others like them. They could work together. Together they could protect.

Together they would be safe.

But someone wasn't safe.

A child. Tiny, barely anything - almost unnoticeable. They only saw it because they were Special. Green said it was just a spirit with a link to the physical realm. Nothing important yet.

But that wasn't true. The spirit was still a child. Still had to be protected.

They could protect the child together, Red argued.

But Green didn't want to. The repercussions were too uncertain. Too many variables - 

Red was insistent. A ***life***! No matter how small, how young, a life. They had to protect it.

They had sworn.

Information flickered between them, and Green was staring at him. Green thought Red wanted to protect the child because Red had failed.

Red felt guilty. Red hated itself. But a life was still a life. Red had promised ... promised someone. Pink? That Red would protect lives.

Green was uncertain, but slowly agreed.

Red and Green reached out to each other, combining in a way that ***hurt***. They weren't supposed to join; they weren't the same! They were too different!

But for the child ...

Together, they reached out and wrapped protectively around the child. Their energies seeped into the child. They would keep it safe. Somehow.

But Silver demanded they come back.

****

He was well aware that Dana would have his head if she caught him walking around, but something was bothering him. He didn't know why, but his head still throbbed, and he kept thinking about Cam of all people. He and Cam weren't even really friends; they knew one another, and they could work together if necessary, but they had nothing in common.

_No, that wasn't true._

He stopped, frowning, and looked around. He had the strangest sensation a moment ago ... Huh.

He had no idea why he knew exactly where Cam was. He didn't know what made him need to see him. He just ... did.

And Cam was sitting up in bed, waiting for him.

They reguarded one another silently for several minutes. At last Cam gestured to the chair beside the bed. "I finally made Hunter take a shower. He was starting to smell," he deadpanned, his voice just as soft and raspy as Wes' own.

And suddenly it all made sense.

"This is weird." Wes murmured, sinking into the chair slowly.

Cam snorted, and they both winced in pain. "No kidding," he managed finally. "No offense, but you're not exactly the first person I'd expect to ... bond with."

Wes frowned. Bond wasn't quite the right word; they both knew it instinctively. "Link?" he offered instead.

They considered for a minute, then nodded in unison. They were linked. Something about the accident had brought them together. They could instinctively sense one another now. Somehow they knew that Cam had Wes' head injury - a concussion, but not exactly - and burned wrist, while Wes' throat problems came from Cam.

From their morphers.

"Why my head?" Wes wondered aloud.

"Your dreams," Cam answered, studying him as the answer came suddenly. "You have dreams about the future."

"Because of my morpher," he realized.

"Maybe," Cam allowed. "Maybe not."

Wes frowned. "What about your - " He gestured to Cam's neck.

Cam sighed. "My samurai element."

Spirit. Cam's amulet was a link to the spiritual world.

"But why us?" he persisted.

Cam shrugged. "We're both different."

They were. Cam was a Samurai among Ninjas who had a connection to spirits and life energy. Wes was the only person from his own time period to use not only a morpher that was from the future, but one that had been used by another person who shared his DNA. While they had their own teammates, something about their abilities seperated them from the rest.

"Do you think it'll go away?" Wes asked finally.

Another shrug. "No idea."

He gave him a weary, amused look. "Aren't you supposed to be one of the ones that has all the answers?"

Cam narrowed his eyes at him. "Thanks to your headache, I don't care about anything but when the hell Hunter is getting back right now."

There was an uncomfortable silence.

"You really love him," Wes murmured at last. "I'm happy for you."

"I ... I'm sorry. About you and Eric," Cam said awkwardly. "And ... the boys."

Wes nodded silently in acceptance.

"What are you doing out of bed?"

They both looked at Hunter, who frowned. "Don't do that," he told them seriously. "It's creepy."

Cam sighed. "How much did you hear?"

"Enough," Hunter answered simply, sitting down on the side of the bed opposite Wes. He reached up to gently run a hand along Cam's cheek, gazing at him with unguarded affection and concern. "You're both the reason you got hurt."

Wes cleared his throat uncomfortably. "I should, uh - "

"Wes."

He glanced at Hunter warily. "Yeah?"

Hunter looked at him for a long moment. "You should get back to bed," he said finally.

Cam rolled his eyes. "That's Hunter-Speak for I'm glad you're all right," he informed Wes.

Wes smiled faintly. "Thanks. I'm glad you guys are all right, too."

They weren't, he mused to himself as he left them alone together. But they would be.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally Wes was going to have a nervous breakdown after hearing why Sky wanted so desperately to be Red. I liked Eric taking care of him, but I decided the emo was too overboard for Wes and dropped it.

And through the pain and guilt, lingering memories began to fill their place as if they'd been just waiting for the opportunity.

_\-- "I couldn't be more disappointed." --_

_\-- "I'm taking over as Red Ranger. Your future lies with Bio-lab." --_

_\-- "You're saying ... All along, you ***knew***. You knew that they would - "_

_"Eric, I- "_

_"Get out of my house! Don't you ever come back! Don't even ***speak*** to me! You - you ... You make me ***sick***!"_

_"Eric, please just - "_

_" ***Get out!** *" --_

_\-- "Something isn't right. These readings are off the charts. The energy output should be contained within the morphers."_

_"The morphers aren't containing the energy?"_

_"The energy is everywhere. And it's ... rising. I - "_

_"Everyone duck!" --_

_\-- "It's been three years. I should have gotten over this by now."_

_"Prejudice doesn't end overnight."_

_"It should." --_

_\-- "I ***want*** to forgive you. But I don't know if I can." --_

_\-- "Wes, we'd like you to to head the mission."_

_"You want ***me*** to lead the team to Aquitar? Why me?"_

_"It came down to a decision between you, Andros, or Jason. And to be completely honest, your Squad will be easiest to cover while you're gone. This mission is going to be sending you straight into a war zone. The few specifics we were able to get from Aquitar were, well ... "_

_"You do of course, have the right to refuse."_

_"No. I'm a Power Ranger. I can't just leave those people to die." --_

_\-- "Power protect us ... "_

_"They cracked the city dome. All those people - "_

_"We have to do something!"_

_"It's too late ... They're already gone." --_

_\-- "Fall back! Fall back!"_

_"No! We don't have Delphine! We have to - We have to - "_

_"Overdrive, she's ***gone***! We've gotta get out of here!"_

_"No! I'm not leaving without her! I'm not! Lemme go!" --_

_\-- "It's never gonna be okay again." --_

_\-- "Overdrive! No! Come on! Dax, come on!"--_

_\-- "Tori, run! What are you doing?! Get out of here!" --_

_\-- "Time Strike!"--_

_\-- "Y-your team? We ... we couldn't ... there was nothing we could do, Wes. I'm so, so sorry ... " --_

_\-- "I don't need your pity, and I don't need you! Get out of my room!"_

_"Fine! Forget you!"_

_"Screw you!" --_

_\-- "Even heroes fail sometime, Wes. We fail ... but we still have to live with the consequences." --_

_\-- "It was like Bethie and Jaz all over again. Bethie said they'd be back with help, and I never saw them again. And then ... everyone kept saying you'd never wake up. But Eric wouldn't believe it; he always swore that you would when you were ready. He kept telling me it'd me okay, and I'd get to see you again. But after awhile, it was so hard to - "_

_"I'm sorry. Sky, I'm so, so sorry ... "_

_"I keep thinking I'm dreaming. That I'll wake up one morning and you won't be here anymore. That it was just my imagination." --_

_\-- "So you still think about what things were like when you and Eric were together?"_

_"All the time. I never cared about anyone else the way I loved Eric." --_

_\-- "You brood a lot more than you used to, you know."_

_"I guess I have a lot more to brood about."_

_"Well, stop it. It's out of character for you." --_

_\-- "It's strange."_

_"What is?"_

_"Holding the same gun that my older brother used." --_

_\-- "Sky's furious - Kat and Cruger never warned them what they'd be beforehand, and they morphed without knowing. He keeps trying to demand to know why he isn't red. I'm giving them drills tonight in hopes of wearing him out long enough that he'll stop asking." --_

_\-- "My father, my step-father, and both of my older brothers were all Red Rangers. All I ever wanted was to live up their legacy. I did ***everything*** S.P.D. told me to! I followed orders to the letter, no matter ***what*** I thought of them. But for some reason, whatever I did wasn't good enough. I'm not good enough to be Red. I'm ***Blue***." --_

He wasn't even aware that he was running until he slammed into someone. A familiar scent filled his nose, and he found his hands fisting in the shirt in front of him before he realized what he was doing. His head automatically buried against that shirt, and he heard a choked whine somewhere in the distance.

"Wes?!"

The sound of his name jerked his attention back on the person in front of him, and he stiffened in horror. No. No no no no no. Not Eric. He couldn't - 

He struggled, but the hands that had grabbed his shoulders at some point tightened, pressing him closer to that chest. Arms tightened, holding him still as he tried to fight. "Wes, calm down," the voice was soft, but sharp, and almost directly in his ear. "Just calm down. Breathe."

"Let - " The word came out as a choked gasp, and he muttered an Aquitian curse as he finally began to notice how hard it was to breathe. 

"No, I'm not letting you go," came the retort. "Now stop trying to talk, and breathe. In and out. That's it."

"Whoa ... What the - "

"Dad? Eric, what's wrong with him?"

He shuddered at the anxiety in his son's voice. He didn't deserve it. He should have died in that battle for Silver Hills, just like Alex told them he would. Jen and the others never should have come back to save him. Then none of this ever would have happened. He'd never have hurt Eric, or Alex and Ben, or Sky ...

Sky would never have been born. What kind of father was he, wishing his son had never been born? What was ***wrong*** with him?!

"I got it, Sky. Do me a favor and call your mom, okay? Let her know we're gonna borrow a room here tonight."

"Are you sure I - "

"Just call her for me, Sky. I'll take care of Wes."

The grip around him shifted, and he was forced to stumble along as he was pushed forward. "Damn it, Wes. I'll carry you there if I have to." Eric grumbled.

No. He couldn't be any weaker than he already was. He forced his feet to move, leaning heavily on Eric.

"That's it. One step at a time," Eric coaxed.

His face felt wet. When was the last time Eric had used that gentle tone around him? When was the last time he'd deserved it? When had he ***ever*** deserved it?

He found himself directed to sit, and fell against Eric's shoulder. The tears welled again, and he clung to the other man. Even though he knew he'd be pushed away, even though he didn't have the right to be doing this ... he needed Eric like he'd never needed him before. And even though he deserved to be rejected again, he secretly prayed he wouldn't.

Arms came around him, rubbing his back soothingly and stroking his hair.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At one point, I attempted to show what actually happened to B Squad while they were at S.P.D. Japan. This is ***way*** back in the early stages of Bright Skies, back when Aisha and Zack were at S.P.D. Japan, and Bridge called Wes and Cam Dad too because they were his 'genetic parents'. (i.e. The ones who gave him his abilities.) I changed my mind later because it was too weird to have Bridge calling his boyfriend's father one of his parents, and then I couldn't get the rest of the scene to work.  >.O
> 
> This is still totally how I picture S.P.D. Japan, though. ^_^V

"Job well done, Rangers," Shadow Ranger announced, turning to look at them all as Murato was at last defeated.

The main comm line beeped. "Commander Cruger, Sir?" Kat sounded almost hesitant. "Commander Bradley of S.P.D. Japan has ... 'requested' the S.P.D. Rangers stop in Tokyo for a visit."

Pink Ranger giggled. "Suggested with a stick, I bet," she murmured.

Green Ranger laughed, while Blue looked away, obviously trying to hide a snicker. 

Red and Yellow looked at one another in confusion. "There's an S.P.D. in Japan?" Yellow wondered aloud.

"Yes, there is," Shadow Ranger returned. He seemed to sigh as his shoulders drooped, then quickly straightened them again. "Please inform Commander Bradley that while we must return Delta Command to Newtech City, B Squad will be happy to accept his request."

There was an awkward pause. "He's specifically requesting to see you as well, Sir."

Shadow brought a hand to the side of his helmet, his head dropping slightly. "Tell him that I will come once Delta Command has been resettled. And that I will be there by the end of today."

"Yes, Sir."

****

The Command Room of S.P.D. Japan was not what most would expect. While it was extremely similar in design to the Newtech base, it seemed much brighter. In addition, the command chair was a dark red, and more dark red accents had been added to the area around it. There was also a bright green stripe running down one side of the chair, which looked to have been painted on.

The chair turned, revealing a very solemn looking man with rumpled blond hair, wearing some sort of leather uniform with dark red trimming. It was definately ***not*** S.P.D. issue: his left shoulder bore a ninja symbol rather than an S.P.D. badge. He was also barefoot, although he slipped into a pair of sandles left on the floor beside him as he stood.

All five B Squad Rangers snapped to attention, saluting. "Sir!" 

He waved a hand. "At ease. I'm not mad at any of you."

Jack, Sky, and Z slid into parade rest, while Bridge and Syd both darted forward to hug the man ferociously. 

He grinned, wrapping an arm around each of them and giving them both a squeeze before kissing Syd's forehead and ruffling Bridge's hair. "I missed you guys, too." he told them, his voice filled with affection. He glanced at the other three and rolled his eyes. "I said at ease, Sky. Stop making that face. You look like Eric when you do that."

Sky scowled. "I do not," he muttered darkly, sighing as the commander rolled his eyes and hugged him as well. He ducked an incoming noogie, stepping back with a glare. "It's good to see you well, Sir."

"Call me Sir one more time, I dare you," the man warned.

Sky sighed, rolling his own eyes. "Sorry, Uncle Hunter," he grumbled.

Hunter grinned. "That's better." He turned to Jack and Z curiously. "And you two are ... ?"

"Cadet Jack Landors, Sir," Jack answered, studying Hunter suspiciously but with growing approval.

"Cadet Z Delgado, Sir." Z added.

Hunter blinked. "Jackson?"

"No, Sir. My name is Jack."

Hunter frowned, staring at him for a moment. "Huh. Weird. You look just like Jaz."

Jack shrugged, giving him an odd look. "No idea who that is, Sir."

"Stop calling me Sir." Hunter informed him. "It gets old quick. It's Hunter."

"Uncle Hunter," Bridge put in, grinning.

"Uncle Hunter," he agreed, tossling Bridge's hair again. "You want me to call them up, or are you gonna surprise them?"

"Them?" Z echoed uncertainly.

"Too late," commented a voice from the doorway.

Bridge turned, his face lighting up at the sight of an Asian man in black and green standing next to a dark-skinned woman in medical whites with a yellow vest. "Mom!"

She caught him as he tackled her in a hug, squeezing tight. "Oh, Bridge," she murmured, kissing his head. She pulled back after a moment, smiling warmly at him. "How are you doing, Baby?"

He shrugged, grinning lopsidedly at her. "You know, same old same old. Capturing aliens, fighting Grumm, working in the lab, trying to save the world ... nothing special."

The man next to them snorted, and Bridge turned to greet him with a hug as well. "Hi, Dad!"

The man groaned as Bridge's mom smiled and Hunter openly laughed at him. "Bridge, we've been over this multiple times. I am ***not*** your father."

"Technically, you are," Bridge pointed out, raising a hand to wiggle his fingers at him. "Not purposely or anything, but you're still part of the process of my creation."

"Gee, thanks. Just what I wanted to hear," the man returned dryly.

"Oh, get over it already, Cam," Bridge's mom scolded. "Bridge has been calling you Dad since he learned how to use his abilities. Let him have his fun."

Cam scowled at her. "Rocky spoils him enough for all of us," he informed her.

"I can always use more spoiling," Bridge offered, looking hopeful.

"And I'm all for any Cam Torture," Hunter put in, smirking.

Cam turned to give him an annoyed look and scowled. "Hunter, why are you wearing your ninja uniform in Command again?"

"'Cause I can," Hunter returned.

Jack snorted, then tried to cover it with a cough. "Sorry. Something caught in my throat," he mumbled, ducking his head to hide a smile.

"This is Jack and Z," Hunter told the other two, jerking his head towards them. "Obviously Jason's Red and Yellow. Kids this is Aisha from our Docs, and Cam from Tech."

"And you're Bridge's parents?" Z asked somewhat warily, glancing between the two.

Aisha laughed. "Two of them." she assured her with a grin. "We call Bridge our tribal baby."

"Tribal Baby?" Jack repeated.

"Cause Bridge had to be special enough to get six sets of parents," Hunter said with a grin. "Most people are happy with just two, but not our Bridge."

"You all realize that if you stand by that logic, Sydney has six parents, Sky has five, and Bridge and Sky are half-brothers," Cam reminded them pointedly.

"Three is more than enough," Sky stated firmly. "I'm not accepting any more."

Syd smirked at him. "You're just afraid of thinking about Bridge as your brother."

"But that wouldn't work," Bridge said thoughtfully. "If Sky's dad is his dad biologically, and my dad energetically, it doesn't make us brothers at all. Sky doesn't have any of Dad's abilties, and I don't have any of his genetics, so we ***wouldn't*** be related."

"Bridge," Sky interrupted. "Calling my father 'Dad', really isn't helping your argument."


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally there was going to be a Bright Skies crossover with Time Force, with the Time Force Rangers returning to the past and things being all Awkward because Wes Is A Parent and he's dating Eric and what-not. Then I was working on A Darker Shade of Red some more and came up with Wes being kidnapped for Blakemore's trial instead. Here's the first version of the crossover, and the next chapter is a bit that I tried to change before giving up on it entirely. The opening should be familiar; I still ended up using it in Lost.

The gravesite was perfect as always, as was the one next to it. He sometimes wondered if his father tipped extra to the caretakers, but judging by the condition of the rest of the grounds, it wasn't likely. It just seemed to be a well-cared for place.

Ironic, since the people buried here probably didn't really care what it looked like. But visiting seemed to bring his dad comfort, which was what counted in the end he supposed.

He wasn't visiting for comfort, but more because he felt like he had to. It wasn't that he didn't miss them - he did, and the ache never completely faded. But he hadn't gotten the chance to say goodbye to one of them, or apologize for everything he'd done in the past to the other.

He swallowed, leaning down to rest flowers at each grave. Something leafy for Phillips - he'd always liked greenery around the mansion more than actual flowers. For his mom, wildflowers he'd stop to pick himself on the way here. She'd always loved wildflowers more than anything he could have bought her.

He wondered if he should talk. R.J. had told him that talking was for those who felt the need to speak to those they wanted to listen. Eric told him that talking to the dead didn't accomplish anything, and Vanessa had agreed.

Then again, he never did listen to either of them.

"Hi," he said at last, sounding awkward. "I don't know ... if this is even going to make much of a difference. But R.J. always tells me to do what feels right, and well ... " He grinned faintly. "Ignoring whatever Eric and Nes say is stupid always makes me feel better, so." 

He took a deep breath, letting out a long sigh. "I miss you both," he admitted. "I wish I'd gotten the chance to say goodbye, Phillips. You practically raised me, and I never really told you how much you meant to me. I don't know if you ever knew, but I'd like to think you did." His eyes fell to the other gravestone and he flinched. "Mom ... I ... I'm so sorry," he whispered. "You deserved ... you deserved so much more. You should have had a better son than I was. All that time I was ashamed of you ... " He closed his eyes, swallowing hard. "I wish I could take it all back. I never should have ... " He broke off, shaking his head again as the guilt welled up, making him nauseous. "I wish I'd had the chance to beg you for forgiveness, just so you could know I'm sorry."

He bowed his head for several minutes, at last running a hand over his hair in aggitation as he finally looked up again. "I should ... I should go. I hope wherever you two are, that you're happy. And I hope you know that even though I miss you ... I'm happy, too." He managed a faint, tight smile before slowly turning and heading back to his bike.

He reached into the saddlebag to check his cell more out of habit than anything else, and was surprised to find a voicemail waiting for him. "Eric ... " 

He frowned, tossed the phone back inside, and reached for his morpher instead. "Quantum, this is Time. You read me?"

_"Yeah, Wes. What's up?"_

He raised his eyebrows. "You tell me. You're the one who tried to leave me voicemail instead of calling me straight. What's going on?"

There was a pause. _"It's ... Well, it's not in an emergency. I didn't want to interrupt ... y'know. So ... "_

"Eric, you're stuttering. What's going on?"

_"I'm ***not*** stuttering,"_ came the irritated retort. _"Excuse me for trying to be respectful."_

He tried not to sigh. "I didn't mean it like that. What's going on? Why'd you call?"

Another pause. _"Maybe you should just get back to S.P.D. I'm not sure if I can explain it."_

"Is everything all right?" he asked, frowning again.

_"Relax. Everyone's here and in one piece. It's just ... You're gonna have to see it to believe it."_

"Thanks, that makes me feel ***loads*** better," he said dryly. He shook his head, smiling fondly. "I'm on my way now. I love you."

_"Love you, too. Quantum out."_

"Time out," he repeated. He frowned thoughtfully as he swung a leg over his bike and started up the engine. Something had Eric freaked out. And whatever it was, he wasn't willing to talk about it over a comm link.

He shook his head, pulling on his helmet and shoving the visor down. He'd find out soon enough. Eric was just going to have to wait until he got there to help him sort it out.

****

One of the nice things about working for S.P.D. was having Dustin and Taylor build him a bike that could take him to Silver Hills and back in just over two hours. He'd always been appreciative, but now was definitely one of those times when he was ***really*** grateful. He'd spend the entire ride back going over scenarios in his mind of what was going on to have Eric acting so weird. His imagination had run wild, and now he knew he wouldn't be able to calm down until every member of his family, team, and Squad was safe and accounted for.

He keyed his morpher before he was even out of the parking garage. "Newtech, this is Time. Where is everyone?"

_"The labs. Where ***else*** would I be?"_ Vanessa demanded.

_"Trying to fix this piece of junk your kids are still trying to claim as Zords,"_ Taylor grumbled. _"Whatever you want, it better be good."_

_" ... Home?"_ Chip offered tentatively. _"Why?"_

_"With Quantum and our ... guests,"_ Justin answered, sounding way too amused. _"You've been trying to figure out what's going on the entire way back, haven't you?"_

"Wouldn't you?" he countered. "Sorry, guys. Eric's freaked out and wouldn't tell me why. I got worried."

_"I am ***not*** freaked out!"_ Eric snapped back. _"We're in the war room. Just hurry up and get here already. Quantum out."_

There was a grunt. _"Turbo out,"_ Justin wheezed.

"Sorry again," he said sheepishly. "Time out."

He jogged up to the war room without bothering to listen for anymore replies, deciding against waiting for an elevator. No matter how many times Eric claimed he wasn't freaked out, he could hear it in his voice. Something was bothering his husband, and if it was bothering him, Wes wanted to know what it was so he could put a stop to it.

Something else occured to him as he ran that made the situation abruptly worse, and he broke into a sprint.

He slapped a hand against the key pad to the war room, stumbling through the door when it opened and turning to stare at his husband. "Did you leave the kids alone with R.J.?" he demanded breathlessly.

The sound of Justin cracking up echoed through the room, but he ignored it, keeping his eyes on Eric. "So that's how you know something's wrong?" Justin chortled. "When R.J. gets the kids?"

"When R.J. gets the kids ***alone*** ," Wes corrected, his eyes already moving around the room to see if his Squad was there. "Eric doesn't like to - "

Cutting off in mid-sentence, he stared.

Five extremely familiar faces stared back at him, equally stunned.

He shut his eyes tightly for a moment before reopening them. Then he reached up to his right temple, feeling to make sure his SightMap wasn't there. When nothing happened other than the people continuing to stare at him, he found himself trying to decide if it was worth getting a chair before he fell down.

Eric made the decision for him, catching him when he stumbled and pulling over the chair he'd been sitting in. "Breathe, Wes," he ordered softly as he shoved him into it. "No, you're not seeing things. They're really here."

"I ... " He tried to find words, failed, and swallowed hard. They looked so ***young*** ... What was he supposed to say? What was he supposed to ***do***? Did he act like nothing had changed between them? Should he treat them like he did his Squad - he was so much older than they were now, after all.

Eric hand squeezed his shoulder just enough to remind him that he wasn't centering his breathing. He tried to force himself to calm down, one hand coming up to squeeze the one on his shoulder. "M'okay," he muttered finally. "Just ... "

"If you have a heart attack before the kids even hit their teens, they'll never forgive you," Eric murmured back, and he fought a smile.

"Wow. You're - are you married?"

He looked up slowly, forcing himself to meet the wide dark eyes on the other side of the room. "Yeah," he managed at last, hoping his smile didn't look fake. "We're married, Trip. Three years now."

"Three?" Jen repeated with a frown.

Wes winced slightly. "Well ... There were .... circumstances," he admitted guiltily.

Eric humphed softly. "Is that what you call it?" But there was no anger to his voice.

It was Katie who stood finally, coming to stand awkwardly in front of them as she tried to smile. "Wow. You guys look ... You look great!" she said brightly.

Wes laughed, shaking his head. "You don't have to lie, Katie," he teased. "I know exactly what I look like these days."

"Like a workaholic?" Justin asked with a smirk.

"Sounds about right," Eric snorted.

Wes rolled his eyes. "Like you're one to talk," he informed his husband. "I know exactly how many hours you put in last week, so you can just be quiet."

Eric folded his arms, raising his eyebrows. "In comparison to how many hours you pulled?" he returned.

"At this rate, you should both just be glad your kids still know who you are and call it a day," Justin told them.

Wes shook his head, but the casual banter had begun to relax him the way it was meant to. He was a little surprised they hadn't dragged the rest of the Newtech Rangers into this just to keep him calm - something Eric would have done in a heartbeat if he thought it would help. This time when he looked up at Katie, he finally managed to push himself back to his feet and wrap her in a tight hug. "I ... wow. What are you guys doing here?"

"Visiting you!" Katie returned happily, squeezing tight.

He gasped. "Katie! Too tight!"

She released him instantly, looking guilty. "Sorry ... " she murmured sheepishly.

He found himself grinning fondly even as his sides ached. "It's okay. I miss your hugs," he laughed, giving her another squeeze.

That seemed to be the cue for Trip to bound over and tackle him in a hug of his own. From Trip there was Lucas' hand, which was used to pull each other closer for a one-armed back slap. Then there was Jen with a warm smile and even warmer arms, and he held on to her a little longer than he should have. "I missed you guys," he murmured as they finally broke apart again. He shook his head with another grin. "What are you ***doing*** here?"

"We have a mission," another voice spoke up, eerily famiilar.

He turned to glance at the fifth guest, and his eyes went wide. "Alex ... "

Alex moved to stand, arms going behind his back at parade rest as he nodded once, slowly. He looked stiff and awkward and so much like Sky and Eric the way he used to be, and Wes wanted more than anything to hug him close. But he wasn't sure if he should. Did Alex know? The last thing he knew he hadn't, but ... Had things changed? Maybe he knew now, and he blamed ***him*** for everything.

He could see Eric frowning at him out of the corner of his eye, but his eyes never left Alex. He swallowed hard, forcing himself to smile. His son. His *son* was standing right across the room. The son he never thought he'd see again. "It's ... it's good to see you again," he managed finally.

Should he say something? Maybe Alex didn't want to talk about it. Oh man, did the others know?

He blinked abruptly. Did I just ... ?

"What?" Justin asked warily. "You've got that brooding look again."

He shook his head slowly. "Just ... realized something, that's all. Surprised me." _The Time Force Rangers aren't my team anymore,_ he finished silently. _After all this time ... the Newtech Rangers are my team now._ A sudden ache welled through him, and he swallowed hard.

His morpher beeped.

Shaking off the feeling, he reached for it. "This is Time."

_"It's Cadet Tate, Sir. Bridge noticed something strange about the strangers' ship, so we went back to investigate. Seems they had a stowaway. We're got him in containment now, Sir."_

He frowned. A stowaway? That could mean a lot of things. "Good work, Cadet. We'll be down to investigate shortly." He paused. "And Sky? No interrogating him before we get there."

_"So ... we should keep Charlie away from him then?"_ another voice piped up.

He sighed, shaking his head with a smile. "Yes, Bridge. Keep Charlie ***and*** Sky away from the prisoner until I get there. And Sky, don't sent Bridge in - that's just cruel."

_"Yes, Sir!"_

_"Yes, Sir."_

"Time out." He chuckled as he glanced up at Eric and Justin, who both looked amused. "I'm not so sure putting Charlie and Sky on a squad together is such a good idea."

"I said that from the beginning, but no one listened to me," Eric pointed out.

He grinned. "You were right, and I'm sorry," he agreed. He glanced back to Jen, and it was hard to keep his smile in place when she was staring at him like that. "Apparently you brought a stowaway with you."

The groan from Alex startled him. "Ben ... "

Eric stiffened. "Ben's here, too?" he demanded.

Lucas looked at him oddly. "How do you know about Ben?"

"Wes told us the whole story a long time ago," Justin returned, studying him for a moment.

"We should get down to see him before Charlie and Sky get bored," Wes said after a pause, swallowing uncomfortably. His palms were beginning to sweat. What if Ben didn't want to see him? What if he hated him, too? What if - 

Someone pinched him, hard, and he looked at Eric in surprise, rubbing his arm. "What was that for?"

"Brooding," Eric reminded him. "Knock it off."

He sighed. "Sometimes I wish you didn't know me so well," he muttered as he opened the door.

"No, you don't," Eric retorted, and he tried not to smile.

The trip down to containment was awkwardly silent, and no one seemed willing to break it. Wes tried, but he couldn't seem to think of anything to say. He had to fight to keep himself from staring at Alex as it was, and he could feel the others' eyes on him.

Sky was waiting outside containment when they arrived, saluting the moment he saw them. "Sir," he said immeditately. "We have the prisoner - "

"Sky," he interrupted with a sigh, waving a hand.

Sky frowned a little at him, but nodded once in acknowledgement. It reminded him of the way Alex had greeted them, and he tried to keep himself from shifting uncomfortably. "Bridge and Syd are trying to get him to talk. Talk," he added hastily. "They're not interrogating." He hesitated before meeting Wes' eyes. "What's going on?"

Wes let out a long, slow sigh. Of everyone here, Sky deserved to know most of all. "That's Ben, Sky," he told him softly. "Our Ben. Your stowaway is Ben." He stepped back a little as Sky's eyes widened, gesturing behind himself. "And this is Alex."

Sky reguarded his older brother with more than a little awe. He swallowed suddenly, stepping forward to offer a hand. "It's an honor to finally meet you," he said finally.

Alex stared back. His eyes flickered to Wes for a second.

"Wes, what's going on?" Jen spoke up, subtly moving closer to Alex. She frowned at Wes. "Who ... why are you telling him who we are?"

Wes tried to smile and failed. "Well, I figure it's only fair for him to meet his brother."

Alex stiffened, and the other four stared at him wide-eyed. "What?" Katie whispered.

He let out a slow sigh. "This is Sky, my son," he explained. He finally managed a smile, but it was bitter. "One of them, at least."

Sky lowered his hand with a frown as Alex continued to stare at it. He turned back to Wes like he didn't care, but there was a hint of hurt in his eyes. "Did you want me to take everyone through?" he asked warily.

Wes sighed. "They're Rangers too, Sky. It's fine."

Sky just nodded, opening the door without another word.

Wes winced and glanced at Eric who rolled his eyes in return. The gesture made him smile a little, and he shook his head slightly. It wasn't Sky's fault.

He received a pointed look in return.

Smiling brightly and pretending he hadn't seen it, he followed Sky into containment. The two cadets waiting for them immediately tried to salute, and he waved them off. "Relax, guys. Don't worry about it."

James raised an eyebrow at him, but Charlie grinned, looking amused. She elbowed her teammate in the side. "Pay up."

James sighed, giving him an exasperated look. "One of these days you're gonna have to stop being so casual, Uncle Wes."

Wes gave him a weird look. "Why?"

There was a soft noise that sounded suspiciously like a snort from Sky, and he scowled at his son. "You, be quiet," he informed him. "And didn't I say not to send Bridge in there? The poor guy's probably about ready to rip his hair out!"

Sky shrugged, but there was a pleased glint in his eyes. "At least then he'll stop giving us the silent treatment."

He pointed a finger at him. "Stop channeling Eric. It's creepy. Now where's your - where is he?"

Charlie jerked her head down the hall. "Cell three. You still need us?"

He gave her a dirty look. "Do I still kick your butt everytime we spar, Cadet? I think so. Get lost. Not you," he added, pointing at Sky again. "You're coming with. But Charlie and James, you can go."

James patted Sky on the shoulder. "Call us if you need a bailout - I mean, if you need anything," he said cheerfully, ignoring Wes' glare. Charlie snickered as they headed out together.

They heard Bridge before they saw the cell, as he'd expected. "So if stow and away essentially mean the same thing, wouldn't the word stowaway be sort of redundant? I mean, if you're stowing, you're already put away, aren't you? Which makes you wonder - "

"Bridge," he cut in, grinning fondly at his son's boyfriend. "Stop before you give him a headache."

"Thank you!" Syd cried in exasperation, throwing her hands up.

Bridge frowned. "I was just trying to make conversation," he protested.

"I know," he promised, patting the teen's shoulder. "But he doesn't speak Bridge yet. You might make his brain implode."

"You know, that's not technically possible," Bridge tried to argue.

"Bridge," Sky spoke up.

Bridge went quiet, looking guilty.

"So ... do you still need us for anything, or can we leave?" Syd asked after a pause. "'Cause after going through all that grime, I ***totally*** need a manicure."

He chuckled, shaking his head. "Yeah, Syd. You're free. Go fix yourself up."

She beamed, throwing her arms around his neck. "Thanks, Uncle Wes."

He reached up to pat her back. "You're welcome. Now go make yourself even more beautiful."

"You really think that's possible?" Syd asked with a thoughtful frown as she pulled away.

"Nah. But you can try," he returned with a wink.

She giggled. "Coming, Bridge?"

Bridge hesitated, glancing between her and Sky. "Um ... As much as I enjoy watching you do your nails Syd, I think I'd rather stay. If that's all right," he added, glancing at Wes.

Wes just nodded. He'd noticed the way Bridge was looking at Sky, which meant that Sky needed him there and wasn't willing to ask. "Sure, Kiddo."

"Fine. But you don't know what you're missing ... " Syd coaxed before she skipped off.

"Believe me, we do," Sky muttered under his breath, and Bridge snickered softly.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was another variation of trying to make the last chapter work before I gave up.

Wes winced again at the thought. After a moment he frowned up at Eric again. "Did you really leave them with just R.J.?"

"What do you take me for?" Eric demanded. "Casey's visiting him."

He started to object to the idea, then subsided, silently admitting to himself that Casey ***was*** really good with kids. "He's not sleeping on our couch again is he?"

"Not if I have anything to say about it."

"You have ***kids*** Wes?" Katie asked, looking at him like he'd grown a second head.

He smiled, chuckling softly. "Yeah, we do. Six, actually."

Jen's eyes widened. "You have ... "

"How'd that happen?" Lucas demanded.

Wes shrugged a little. "Well, there's Alex and Ben." He blinked for a moment, trying not to think about it. "Then there's Sky. And then the triplets."


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> During my first version of Impact, Wes wasn't going to find out about what happened until after the fact, at which point he confronts Cruger in the Command Center while everyone tries to calm him down. I didn't think it was as emotional as I wanted the chapter to be.
> 
> And Omega's one random line makes me think I watch too much sci-fi. c.c;;;

" ... Dad?"

He turned slightly. Sky was staring at him. Behind him was an equally wide-eyed B Squad, Jack sandwiched between them all with an arm around Keri. Around the Command Center were more people watching him with more than a little fear in their eyes, frozen by their stations. So far only Kat had dared to get any closer to him and Cruger, one arm reached out placatingly.

"Wes." This time it was Justin. He didn't know when the other man had come in. Or was he already there? Did it really matter? Justin didn't hesitate to come to his side, ignoring the way everyone else was staring. "Come on, Time. They frown on strangling your commanding officer here. Didn't you know that?" he teased, gently prying his hands free from Cruger's uniform.

He blinked, then frowned. "But he - "

"I know." Justin's voice was soft now. "I know, Wes. But there's nothing else he could do."

"Someone else could have gone."

"Who? Eric? Me? Who else still has a Zord?" Justin asked practically. He sighed. "Come on, Time. I'm not Wind or Mystic. I stink at comforting people. You gotta calm down before they throw you in a containment cell or something."

"I'd like to see them try," he muttered.

"Dad?" Sky was in front of him now, looking hestitant and somewhat guilty. "I'm sorry. But I had to. I mean, didn't you tell me that's what being a Power Ranger is all about? Protecting people no matter what?"

He let out a slow sigh. "That's not fair. Turning my own words against me," he grumbled, but his fury was weakening. He was still angry, but the red haze was finally beginning to fade from his vision.

Sky shrugged. "You'd complain that I never listen otherwise."

He smiled a little. "Yeah."

Sky hesitated. "Um ... Where are Eric and Mom?" he asked, looking nervous.

He shrugged. "R.J. was trying to tie them up last I saw."

Justin gave him an amused look. "You escaped, didn't you?"

"He only has two hands," he reminded him.

"You know, of all people, I never thought that ***you'd*** be the one to cause trouble once Lit was gone, Wes."

His eyes went wide, and he turned at the familar voice. "T.J.?!"

The other man seemed slightly tanner than he'd been the last time he'd seen him, and the shadows had finally left his eyes. Beside him, Litania grinned as wickedly as ever, wrapped up in an oversized jacket with her long blond curls trailing around her.

T.J. stepped forward to meet him and Justin as they came to greet him, clasping hands and exchanging brief claps on the back. His smile was warm. "Man, I missed you guys." He paused. "And real Earth food. Anybody know where I can get a cheeseburger around here?"

Wes laughed as Justin socked him in the arm. "You glutton," the younger man teased. "What are you guys ***doing*** here?"

"They saved me," Jack spoke up. He shrugged when everyone looked at him. "I got knocked flying when the meteor exploded - that's why it took me so long to get back. Their ship caught me and set me back on course for Earth."

"I haven't seen my little girl in months, and she still won't tell us when she's planning on coming home," T.J. pointed out. "Besides, we figured it was about time we came back to see what all the fuss was about these 'S.P.D. Rangers' we keep hearing about."

"You mean you heard about us all the way in the Satra Galaxy?" Bridge brightened.

"The Satra Galaxy?" Litania gave him an amused look. "They're all over S.P.D."

"We're famous!" Syd squealed happily.

Z snorted, giving her a look. "Yeah, like that's such a new thing for you."

"But now we're famous ***together*** , Z," Syd protested, slipping her arm through the other girl's as she beamed up at her. "All of us!"

"Where ***is*** the Satra Galaxy, anyway?" Z asked, frowning.

"About sixty-five million lightyears away," Omega answered absently. He shrugged when she looked at him. "What?"

"Hey, before I forget to ask ... " Jack eyed Litania oddly. "Why are you wearing a down jacket in the middle of summer?"

"It's eight-six degrees here," she informed him, shivering.

He frowned. "Exactly."

Keri gave him an amused look. "It's winter on Gannos. The temperatures there in the upper nineties."

He stared.

T.J. cleared his throat loudly. "So. Food?"


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This little drabble was supposed to be a continuation of the last chapter, when Wes talks about R.J. tying Eric and Vanessa up and locking them in a closet after they find out about Sky's meteor mission. I really loved it, but I couldn't get the conversation flowing.

"Hey." He lightly kicked Sky's foot under the kitchen table as he joined him.

"Hey." Sky muttered, staring at his plate with his chin braced in one hand. The other had dropped down to his lap, where the distinct sound of purring could be heard.

Wes nodded to the plate. "R.J. made you pizza?"

"Yeah. He gave it to me right before Mom and Eric got out."

Sky's favorite apparently; it looked like an entire fruit salad had been dumped on top. R.J. called it Banana Berry something. Supreme? Surprise?

"So where's R.J.?"

"I'm not at liberty to say." Sky glanced at him. "In the interest of future pizza bribes."

The corner of Wes' mouth quirked. "And we can't risk the pizza bribes," he agreed.

After a moment, he nudged Sky's foot again. "Rough week, huh?"


	8. Holiday

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The original story behind the Holiday prompt. I like it a lot, but as I've gotten more chapters sorted and re-written, I realized it doesn't really fit the ending anymore. So it ended up here as a one-shot. It was also written before I changed the names for two of the kids, so this version has updated names and was edited accordingly.
> 
> The Kerovian Ranger Festival is something I came up with for later use in my Fade to Darkness trilogy. But I didn’t want to do any of the normal holidays for this prompt, so I decided to use it here. For anyone who’s curious, the Neo-Kerova team mentioned was Andros and Zhane’s team before they met the Astro Rangers.
> 
> Much love to rainbowdepot.com for inspiring the clothing and accessories used throughout this chapter, and purplestripe66, rosabelle, Starlit Purple, and writerpayne for all their help.
> 
> Written for JadeTate, who wanted to see a 'family day' with the Collins/Myers/Tate/Finn clan. I know it’s not quite what you were hoping for, but here’s a start.

"I can't believe I'm doing this," Eric grumbled, glaring down at his tie.

Wes rolled his eyes, keeping focused on making sure he didn't lose any strands. "Eric, it's the last day. You've already made it through thirteen days of this. Relax, would you? Besides, you promised."

His only response was an indistinguishable growl.

He sighed, pausing to make sure the bows were nice and tight as he finished. "All right, Princess," he declared finally. "You're all set."

Elaina blinked up at him. He'd put her hair in pigtails and tied several different colored ribbons around the ties. The result was adorable, and he smiled at her. "You're beautiful," he told her, leaning in to bump his nose against hers.

"She's always beautiful," Eric retorted as she squealed happily.

"Yes, but now she's ***rainbow*** beautiful," he returned, smiling at his little girl. "All set for Power Rangers Day, Princess?"

"Pi'sa!" she laughed, patting her tiny hands against his face.

"How does 'pizza' translate to yes?" Eric demanded as he scooped her up. He paused to adjust her tie-dyed shirt and gently batted her hands away from his rainbow-striped tie.

"Because R.J. says 'pizza', and Sky says yes," he answered with a shrug. "They're two, Eric. She doesn't know the difference."

"Donovan does," his husband grumbled.

"That's because ***Donovan*** picks things up very quickly." He hefted first one son, then the other, pausing to kiss each of their heads.

Donovan looked at him with quiet eyes that reminded him more of Eric than any of the others did, while Charlie wrinkled his nose. "Da ... " he whined.

He smiled and kissed him again, grinning when he made a face. "Too bad. I love you. Get used to it," he informed the toddler.

Eric was watching him when he looked up. "What?"

Eric shook his head. "Nothing," he murmured, but he could see the other man was trying not to smile. "We ready?"

"You've got one, so you get the bag," Wes informed him. "Otherwise, yes."

Eric rolled his eyes. "I know the rules, you don't have to remind me."

"Can't hurt." He adjusted the boys, smiling brightly at his husband. "So?"

Eric tugged down on the tie-dyed bucket hat Wes was wearing with his free hand, glancing up at it and shaking his head. "You look ridiculous."

"It's for Trip," he retorted, eyes narrowing slightly.

"I know that. But you look ridiculous in that hat."

His attempt to protest again was silenced with a soft kiss, and he surrendered with a sigh.

"Jerk," he muttered as they broke apart to the sound of fussing kids. He smiled a little.

"And?" Eric returned smugly, swinging the red backpack they used as a diaper bag over one shoulder. He went to open the front door and froze.

Wes frowned at the holdup. "Eric?" 

He tried to peek around his husband and paused, blinking. "Oh. Oh, hi!" He smiled brightly, hoping it didn't look awkward. "Jack! Daniel! How are you?"

"Um, hi ... " Daniel frowned a little. "We, uh ... We just happened to be ... Well, we had some time off, and Jack wanted to stop by ... Is this a bad time?"

"We can come back," his father-in-law added quickly, looking slightly uncomfortable. He winced when Daniel elbowed him sharply.

Wes glanced at Eric, who shrugged minutely. He forced a broad smile at the two men on his porch. "No, it's not that. It's just ... we were on our way to S.P.D. for the last day of the Kerovian Ranger Festival. You're all more than welcome to come if you like. I   
mean, the more the merrier." He tried not to eye the pair standing behind Jack and Daniel.

"Well, we don't want to impose," the woman behind Jack said quickly.

"I'm sorry, did you say ***Kerovian*** Festival?" Daniel asked, pushing his glasses up on his nose as he peered at Wes in interest.

Wes tried not to smile and failed. "Some of the people at S.P.D. are from the planet KO-35. We've been celebrating a few of their major holidays pretty much since S.P.D. started. Right now we're on the last day of the Ranger Festival - Power Rangers Day. Like I   
said, you're more than welcome to come with us if you want. It's a city-wide holiday now."

Daniel turned to look at Jack. There was a moment of silence as they stared at one another, and finally Jack groaned. "All right, all right, fine." He sighed, rolling his eyes in a way that was painfully reminiscent of Eric. "Who am I to keep us from a 'cultural experience'?" he grumbled under his breath.

Wes grinned, shifting his grip on Charlie. While things had been awkward a first - and still were at times, being that the Myers/O’Neill men weren't exactly the best at working through their issues, he'd gotten used to his father-in-law the longer he knew him. He got along better with Daniel, being someone who knew what it was like to deal with one of them, but Jack never failed to remind Wes that no matter how much he hated admitting it, Eric was truly his father's son.

The woman behind Jack stepped forward with a friendly smile. "You need a hand?"

"Thank you," he sighed in relief. He'd gotten *used* to carrying both boys, but that didn't mean it was easy. There were times he envied Vanessa for her hips - and R.J., who moved in a way that made him seem like he had them. He paused, considered, and offered Donovan to her. "You'd better take Donovan. He's not so bad with strangers," he explained. "Charlie's the troublemaker."

"So this is Donovan, and that's Charlie?" she repeated, smiling at the boy in her arms. "Aren't you a cutie?" she cooed, tickling his stomach.

Donovan squirmed a little, blinking up at her. After a moment he latched onto one of her fingers, sucking contentedly.

"I'm Sam, by the way," she added suddenly, offering a hand. "Samantha Carter. I work with Jack and Daniel."

He laughed as they shook. "Wes Collins. This is my husband Eric, and the princess he's holding is Elaina."

"Do you normally hand our kids over to complete strangers?" Eric interrupted, glaring at him briefly before looking suspiciously at Sam.

Wes rolled his eyes. "When they come with your dad, I'm not exactly worried about it," he told him flatly. Whether or not Eric wanted to admit it, Jack was almost as protective of their kids as Eric was - which was ***definitely*** saying something. He turned to offer a hand to the larger man in the back. "Sorry, and you are ... ?"

There was a pause. "My name is Murray," the man said at last, taking his hand awkwardly and squeezing it tighter than was strictly necessary. "I also work with ColonelO'neill and DanielJackson."

He smiled and tried to keep from grinning. Murray? Yeah, right. He wasn't a member of S.P.D. for nothing. "Nice to meet you," he said sincerely. He elbowed Eric.

"Yeah, nice to meet you," he sighed. "So are you guys following us, or what? We've only got so much room in the car."

Wes discreetly stopped on his foot, ignoring the pained grunt. "Is there anything you guys need before we go?" He smiled brightly when the other four shook their heads, Sam looking amused. "Let's get this show on the road, then."

****

"Kerovians are basically party people," Wes explained to Daniel, adjusting Charlie as they left the parking lot for the center of the park. The corner of his mouth quirked as he thought of Andros. "Most of them, anyway. The Kerovian Ranger festival is two weeks of celebrating Power Rangers and what we do. There's twelve 'Color Days', like Day of Red, Day of Black, Day of Blue, and so on. For the Color Days, everyone dresses up in that Color to celebrate that type of Ranger. After the last Color Day, we go into Ranger Days. Kerova Rangers Day, which celebrates the first six Rangers of KO-35, then Neo-Kerova Rangers Day, which is for the team that took over for them - one of them is actually our teammate now. Then we have Astro Rangers Day, for the team that helped to bring the APG together and destroyed Dark Specter. Today is the last day, Power Rangers Day, which is for all Power Rangers everywhere." He grinned faintly. "They even managed to get some of our allied teams to visit from their planets, since we've all worked together for so long."

"Sounds very elaborate," Daniel commented.

He shrugged. "It is, but it's really a lot of fun. It gives us a chance to appreciate what our Rangers do for each other, and remember the teams that have come before us."

"What is this, Gay Pride Day?" Jack demanded as they surveyed the entrance to the festival. People were everywhere, dressed in every shade imaginable. Rainbow streamers, balloons, and flags decorated the area, leaving everything garishly bright. If it wasn't for the pictures and emblems of various Power Rangers teams mingled in, it would have been impossible to tell the difference.

He grunted when Daniel elbowed him with a hissed "Jack!"

Wes grinned. "Technically, it's Power Rangers Day," he reminded his father-in-law. "But with all the colors, it's sort of hard to tell."

"Time! Quantum!"

He turned and laughed aloud as Zhane bounded toward them, beaming. Zhane adored parties as much as any typical Kerovian, and the Ranger Festival had always been one of his favorites. He'd dressed for the occasion in typical Zhane fashion: a grey T-shirt bearing the words 'Got Pride?' with the word 'Pride' in rainbow text, a rainbow-colored grass skirt, a matching Hawaiian lei around his neck covering a rope of rainbow Marti Gras beads, and rainbow flip-flop sandals. There was a small SPD badge pinned to his right shoulder identical to the one he wore when he morphed, and a crown of flowers sprayed with silver metallic paint sat on his head.

"Welcome to Power Rangers Day!" he greeted them brightly, hugging everyone in the group without even bothering to pause to see who was who. For a moment Wes worried at the way Murray stiffened, but Zhane was already moving away to grin at them all. "First of all ... " He turned, reaching for one of the two tables sitting just inside the entrance to the festival. He slipped rainbow sashes over Jack, Daniel, Sam, and Murray before any of them had any chance to say anything, let alone realize what he was doing, then crowned Wes and Eric each with their own ring of flowers, this time in red.

"You have ***got*** to be kidding me," Eric protested, reaching for the crown.

"All Rangers wear crowns on Power Rangers Day, current or former," Zhane informed him. He handed two more S.P.D. pins to Wes. "Newtech Team symbol," he explained simply. He turned to point. "Over there we have the dancing area, food is down that way along with general merchandise for your Power Ranger needs, S.P.D.'s Rangers started a game of Frisbee over there, there's a sparring area that way, and we have an area for painted tattoos by the wall S.P.D. has so kindly donated to the community mural project. The Team Talent show begins at two, story time is at five, and the memorial starts at sundown. Any questions?"

"How do you ***breathe***?" Eric demanded as Wes pinned his badge to him.

Zhane just grinned at him. "Practice."

"Dude! There you guys are!"

Wes turned to greet Dustin with a smile, and stared. "Uh ... Dustin? What ... What are you wearing?"

Dustin blinked at him, barely sparing a glance to the tie-dye dress over a yellow T-shirt, rainbow-striped socks, and tall brown boots. The red devil horns he was wearing on his head started to slide, pulling his yellow and blue flower crown with it, and he pushed them up absently. "Oh. Hunter like, bet me I didn't mean it when I said I'd do anything to make another culture feel more comfortable." He grinned brightly. "And he was ***totally*** wrong, dude." He turned, cupping his hands around his mouth. "Shane!" he bellowed. "Two more, dude!"

He raised his eyebrows as Shane hurried over to them. Shane, unlike Dustin and Zhane, looked mostly normal. The only odd addition was the rainbow wrist band he wore on his left wrist, and his own red flower crown. "Something wrong, Shane?" he asked.

Shane rolled his eyes. "Turns out there's a Color Solidarity thing going around on top of the team thing - the Pinks started it. But by the time we found out, all that was left was these." He slid another rainbow wristband on Wes. Like Zhane, he handed him the one for Eric rather than attempting it himself.

Wes eyed his new wristband bemusedly. "Thanks."

Shane nodded, patting him on the shoulder absently. "There's a zero-gravity bounce house set up by the dancing area if you guys get tired of lugging the kids around. Gotta go - I think I see Mack. Dude! Mack! Wait up!"

Wes watched him go before turning to look at his husband.

Eric's eyes narrowed.

"You promised," Wes told him pointedly.

There was a pause, a growl, and Eric shifted Emily to offer his left hand.

Wes slipped on the bracelet, pausing to smile and offer him a kiss. "Thanks," he murmured. He knew Eric hated all of this, but he'd agreed to put up with it because Wes hadn't wanted the triplets to think there was anything wrong with being proud of their Colors, or taking part in the festival.

Eric sighed. "You owe me," he muttered, but there was no real annoyance to it. He paused, catching Elaina's hands as she tried to reach for Wes' flower crown. "Hey. That's not yours," he warned.

She whined, flailing as she strained for it. "Shiny!"

Wes looked at her, his face softening. 'Shiny' was something between 'pretty' and 'want' for the triplets. He'd give it to her in a heartbeat, but then Zhane would be upset. "No, Elaina."

Eric sighed again, shifting her a little and reaching to Wes' head. "Hang on a sec," he murmured. There was a slight tug, and he reached down with to weave the single flower he'd stolen from Wes' crown into one of her pigtails. "There you go, Princess."

"Ooh, wait." Wes reached up to take another flower, this time from Eric's crown, and put it on the other pigtail. He kissed Elaina's nose. "There we are. Now you're the shiniest girl here," he told her, smiling at her delighted squeal.

Almost instantly two wails of protest split the air. 

Wes and Eric exchanged amused glances before looking at their sons. Wes sighed, shaking his head with a smile as he removed two more flowers from Eric's crown. "You know, I'm starting to get why Nes says we spoil them too much," he remarked.

"Like I care," Eric retorted, already trying to figure out a way to tie one of the red flowers in his hand to Charlie.

"Dad! Eric!"

He looked up and smiled. "Hey, Sky. We heard you guys started a Frisbee game."

His son shrugged, already reaching to take Elaina before Eric had a chance to do much more than glare at him. "Bridge said you guys were here, so I thought I'd take a break." He paused to smile down at his baby sister, tickling her. "Hey, Star."

"S'y!" Elaina cheered, grabbing for his hands as she giggled.

Wes smiled fondly at them. He'd worried a little, when they'd first told Sky that they were going to have another kid. He hadn't reacted well to the news at all, avoiding them for days until - from what the rest of the S.P.D. Rangers had explained - Jack, Charlie, and Z had beat some sense into him. He still hadn't been happy about it, but that changed the night the three of them were born. When Wes had first put Emily in Sky's arms, there was something in Sky's eyes as he watched her carefully. From that moment on, he'd been the perfect big brother - even if Elaina was blatantly his favorite.

Wes secretly suspected it had something to do with Nova.

"S'y!" Charlie whined, struggling to reach his older brother. "Shiny S'y!"

Behind him, he could hear Jack's snort.

Sky just shook his head, reaching for Charlie as well. He looking down at the two toddlers, frowning at them. "I only have two arms, you know," he reminded them flatly.

Elaina snuggled into him contentedly. Charlie just laughed and tugged on one of the rainbow gloves Sky was wearing.

"Sky? Oh, hi Uncle Wes! Hi, Uncle Eric!" Bridge greeted brightly as he jogged over to them, pushing a rainbow Marti Gras feather mask up on the top of his head. He turned to look at his boyfriend, grinning. "Jack says if you don't get back there and keep us from losing, he's going to demote you to D Squad for real."

Sky rolled his eyes. "I'd like to see him try,"

Bridge just smiled, leaning in to wiggle his fingers at Charlie and Elaina. Charlie grabbed for him, trying to steal one of his gloves as well. Bridge let him have it, revealing his usual leather gloves underneath, and turned to take the younger Daniel from Sam as he introduced himself. Donovan immediately babbled happily to Bridge in the few words he knew, beaming as Bridge carried on as though they were having a normal conversation. If Donovan had a favorite person, it was ***definitely*** Bridge.

"You want them in the bounce house?" Sky asked, raising his eyebrows. "They'll be in there for hours."

Wes shrugged, reaching to take Charlie back. "Maybe later. I was actually thinking we should swing by the mural first so they can make their mark."

"That should be interesting," Eric snorted, stealing Elaina as Sky scowled at him.

Wes rolled his eyes at them. They were worse with her than they'd ever been with Sheep.

He turned to smile at Daniel and the rest of their group. "You guys coming with us, or did you just want to wander around?"

"Wander," Jack said as Daniel answered with "We'll come with you." They exchanged glances, Jack sighed and rolled his eyes, and Wes fought back a snicker. "Apparently we're coming with you," Jack informed him.

"We'd better get back to the game," Bridge reminded Sky as he let Sam take his own toddler again. "Last I saw, A Squad was winning."

"Not for long," Sky retorted. "We'll catch up with you later, Dad."

"Have fun!" he called as Bridge dragged Sky along.

"Let's go cover these kids in paint," Eric sighed, hefting Elaina up against his shoulder.

R.J. was there to greet them at the mural, with a bright smile and a declaration of "Ah, here to release your inner artist, I see." R.J. was almost worse than Dustin; he dressed in one of his usual purple shirts and jeans, but he'd wrapped a rainbow sarong around his waist and strung multiple rainbow bangles along his arms.

Eric stared at him. "R.J., if I didn't know you married Vanessa, I'd swear you were gay."

"Oh, I am," R.J. returned brightly. "I'm gay for life. After all, what's life without joy? Aren't ***you*** gay?"

Eric rolled his eyes and punched him in the shoulder as Wes snickered and R.J. grinned at him. He turned and paused, blinking for a moment. "Tommy."

Wes turned to smile at their superior officer and nearly choked.

Tommy wore black slacks with a rainbow belt, being held up by a set of rainbow suspenders. His black T-shirt had a stencil of the Dino Rangers footprint symbol on it, and he had a rainbow wristband on his left wrist, while a rainbow hair scrunchie sat on his right. Glancing down revealed that someone had gotten him to wear rainbow shoelaces in his sneakers.

"You look like Rainbow Bright puked on you," Eric informed the other man.

Tommy sighed, rolling his eyes. "Well, that's a new one."

There was a giggle, and Kimberly peeked out from behind him. Unlike Tommy, she'd somehow managed to make her own set of rainbow suspenders work with her jean shorts and pink T-shirt, completed by the set of rainbow feathered wings on her back. "He's been getting comments all day," she explained. "Rainbow nightmare, fashion disaster, stuff like that."

"You look cute, Kim," Wes informed her, handing over Charlie as she reached for him.

"Thanks," she returned cheerfully, playing with Charlie for a moment. She glanced up. "So you guys are here for the mural?"

"Nah, we're just here to make fun of Tommy," Wes teased, reaching for a can of red paint. "So what exactly are we doing here?"

"Anything you want, my man," R.J. told him happily. "Art is all about self expression." He paused, glancing down as Elaina happily placed a golden handprint against his stomach. " … And making a mess," he finished ruefully as everyone laughed. He stopped to consider, shrugged, and offered a can of paint to each of the boys, holding out his shirt to them.

By the time they'd all finished adding their own artwork to the wall, R.J. was covered in tiny hand prints, Eric was griping about the paint in his hair, and Wes was seriously considering donating his shoe to the wall after Charlie had taken some paint of his own to it.

It was the most fun he'd had in ages.

****

"The Kerovian Ranger Festival is a time to honor our Rangers, and remember what they do for us. Power Rangers Day is a day to have fun, but it's also a day to honor those we have lost," Tommy said solemnly, looking out over the crowd. "Tonight, we remember our friends, and the impact they had in our lives. We remember how hard they fought for us, and that their sacrifices mean something. That we're here today, tonight, because of them."

He stepped back, and the holographic projector slowly began to play.

Trini Kwan, fighting fiercely, and offering a bright, kind smile to the camera. The Aquitian Rangers, Delphine tilting her head curiously, Aurico giving the Aquitian version of an innocent expression, and Cestro intently studying a cluster of mechanical parts. Conner McKnight, grinning wildly and giving a thumbs up at his wedding reception, while Ethan James looked shell-shocked at his side. Kira Fernandez playing a song for them, strumming her guitar with a distant look in her eyes. Joel Rawlings whooping and waving his cowboy hat in the air. Chad Lee studying a pool at the aquarium, looking up in surprise and smiling sheepishly. Kelsey Winslow rollerblading through the halls of S.P.D., spinning to flash a salute to a startled Cruger before moving on. Tori Bradley teasing her squad and pausing to push the camera out of her face. Dax Lo babbling on at a table in the cafeteria as more than one person stared at him blankly.

Wes swallowed hard, and felt Eric's arm squeeze him tighter.

The words 'In honor of those we have yet to meet' scrolled across the screen.

Jen Scotts looking fierce, Lucas Kendall grinning brightly at the car in front of him. Katie lifting a large crate over her head with a bright smile, and Trip looking hopeful as he clutched Circuit to his chest. Then a shot of the four of them together, marching through the streets of Silver Hills.

It took a moment to remind himself to breathe, that they were gone, but that didn't mean they were ... gone. That he had another team, sitting all around him as they watched this tribute to their friends. That his family was still here, that Charlie was asleep in his lap while Donovan snuggled against his side. That Eric was leaning close, whispering in his ear.

He turned to look at him, and felt the tear fall.

Eric moved closer, resting their foreheads together. He didn't say anything, just watched him, waiting for Wes to tell him he was okay. He felt Elaina tug on his shirt, and glanced down to see her looking at him worriedly. He tried to smile.

There was a cheer from somewhere to his left that made him look up. The screen was still playing, now showing the Omega and Nova Rangers facing off against Krybots that final day during Grumm's fall. The shout had come from the rest of the S.P.D. Rangers, all gathered together in the grass. Jack was yelling Sam's name and waving wildly, while Charlie rolled her eyes and shoved him lightly. The rest of their team was laughing, cuddling together as they watched the show.

Movement out of the corner of his eye startled him, and he turned to stare at the screen again.

He didn't know how they'd done it, but someone had released hundreds of butterflies into the setting sun. Their wings sparkled in the dying light, and the effect was almost magical. More than one person oohed in appreciation.

Butterflies, he remembered distantly, represented the soul in Japanese culture. Mack had told him that.

He took a deep breath, forcing himself to look around the park. Ranger teams grouped together in the area that had been set aside specifically for them, while the rest of the park was flooded with civilians who had come just to enjoy the festival. The Newtech Rangers were gathered around him and Eric, and Sky was within calling distance. His father-in-law and the friends that had come with him were to the right, and his youngest children were in his arms.

It was what they'd fought for, what they'd left home for.

He closed his eyes for a moment before turning to watch the last of the butterflies disappear. His friends had fought to protect this, to protect the chance for festivals, and children, and new beginnings. And in that sense, they'd won.

And it was time for him to stop grieving, and let them go.

He dropped one hand to stroke Elaina's hair as she tugged on him again. Then he looked into his husband's eyes, and smiled. 

"I love you," he murmured.

There was a moment of silence as Eric watched him warily for a moment before he finally sighed. A hand came up to cup Wes' cheek. "Love you, too."

And as they kissed, Wes could feel the last of the remaining tightness in his chest finally loosen.


End file.
